The Redwing Roost

At the end of a winters day Redwings come together to spend the night in a communal roost. Some of these birds will travel many miles to roost together for safety and perhaps to tell one another where there is food. Unlike Starlings they do not murmurate but fly directly into the roost – usually in a pine forest. I visited one such roost in the Ribble valley last month and stood in amazement as thousands of Redwings flew over my head into the pines. Over a period of forty minutes more than twenty thousand Redwings entered the roost and it was impossible to arrive at an accurate figure. As it was almost dark when the last birds arrived taking photos was not easy but some are in this weeks gallery. I understand that BBCs Winterwatch camera men have been to film the spectacle which will be shown in their programme in the next ten days.click here